Sargeras
Copied from Blizzard's Own Website Sargeras was a Vanir Titan and their great champion, chosen by their Pantheon to defend the worlds they had created. He carried out these duties for countless millennia, seeking out and destroying the demons of the Twisting Nether wherever he could find them. The Eredar, an insidious race of devilish sorcerers, used their warlock magic to invade and enslave a number of worlds. The indigenous races of those worlds were mutated by the Eredar's malevolent powers and turned into demons themselves. Though Sargeras' nearly limitless powers were more than enough to defeat the vile Eredar, he was greatly troubled by the creatures' corruption and all-consuming evil. Incapable of fathoming such depravity, the great Titan began to slip into a brooding depression. As doubt and despair overwhelmed Sargeras' senses, he lost all faith not only in his mission, but also in the Titans' vision of an ordered universe. Eventually he came to believe that the concept of order itself was folly, and that chaos and depravity were the only absolutes within the dark, lonely universe. His fellow Titans tried to persuade him of his error and calm his raging emotions, but he disregarded their more optimistic beliefs as self-serving delusions. Storming from their ranks forever, Sargeras set out to find his own place in the universe. Although the Pantheon was sorrowful at his departure, the Titans could never have predicted just how far their lost brother would go. By the time Sargeras' madness had consumed the last vestiges of his valiant spirit, he believed that the Titans themselves were responsible for creation's failure. Deciding, at last, to undo their works throughout the universe, he resolved to form an unstoppable army that would set the physical universe aflame. From the ranks of the powerful Eredar, Sargeras picked two champions to command his demonic army of destruction. Kil'jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and recruit them into Sargeras' ranks. The second champion, Archimonde the Defiler, was chosen to lead Sargeras' vast armies into battle against any who might resist the Titan's will. Once Sargeras saw that his armies were amassed and ready to follow his every command, he launched his raging forces into the vastness of the Great Dark. He referred to his growing army as the Burning Legion. To this date, it is still unclear how many worlds they consumed and burned on their unholy Burning Crusade across the universe. Far away, on the young world of Azeroth, Queen Azshara was wielding magic as her plaything along with her chosen Highborne. Sensing the great potential of the Well of Eternity, and knowing that it could satiate his hunger for magic, Sargeras culled the Burning Legion to the ethereal outskirts of Azeroth, and the Enemy of All Life called to Azshara. The Elven Queen was impressed, and overwhelmed, by Sargeras' great power, and agreed to allow him entrance to her world if only for a taste of a portion of his knowledge and energy. Thus did the first invasion of Azeroth begin. (Note: In the novel The Well of Eternity by Richard A. Knaak, it is shown that Sargeras exercised a subtle but effective form of mental manipulation while speaking to Azshara and her councilor, Xavius, after he made contact with them. This resulted in them coming to admire and worship Sargeras as a god, willing to do anything to help him. It was also shown that Sargeras' manipulation could be resisted, but that it required a good deal of conscious effort and willpower. Even Malfurion almost fell under the influence of the evil Titan. It's possible, if not likely, that Azshara and Xavius were too overcome with power-lust and the realization that Sargeras could give them the power they sought to even notice what he was doing to them, let alone try to resist.) Archimonde and Mannoroth stormed through Kalimdor, ripping the world to shreds and sucking every ounce of energy from it that they could. Meanwhile, Sargeras waited in the Twisting Nether for Azshara to strengthen the Portal enough to allow him entrance. That time was growing very near very soon. However, at the last moment, the night elves, aided by Cenarius' woodfolk and Alexstrasza's dragons, mustered their forces and rebelled against the high-borne, in a climactic battle that destroyed the Well of Eternity, crushed much of the world to rubble, and threw the demons back into the Twisting Nether. Sargeras' mission had failed for the very first time. Due to the closing of the portal so suddenly, the powers holding it open(the Well of Eternity) exploding, and imploded, creating the Maelstrom, destroying nearly 80% of the Kalimdor landmass. Some nine thousand years later,Aegwynn, the legendary Guardian of Tirisfal, was charged with guarding Azeroth from the agents of Sargeras, and she constantly kept watch over Azeroth, destroying demons wherever she found them. Sargeras saw that Aegwynn was a serious threat, but he also saw how she could be manipulated. Sargeras sent demon agents on a great Dragon Hunt. The demons killed several dragons, but Aegwynn appeared with the aid of the very dragons that were being hunted, and killed the hunting party. Before the demons were destroyed, they opened a rift, and Sargeras entered Azeroth to confront Aegwynn. Sargeras allowed Aegywnn to destroy his physical husk, and at the last moment, he transferred his spirit into the body of Aegwynn, and waited. Aegwynn sealed the corpse in the remnants of a Kaldorei temple which beneath the sea (no doubt she found the contrast amusing). The Order of Tirisfal informed Aegwynn that her time was up, and they ordered her to Dalaran to choose a succesor. Aegwynn disobeyed the Order's command, and decided that only one of her lineage would suffice. She seeked out the great mage and advisor to King Llane, Nielas Aran. Aegwynn seduced the mage, and mothered a son by him. Medivh, son of Aegwynn, was conceived. Deep in the recesses of this Last Guardian did Sargeras reside. Due to his enormous power, combined with the power of the Guardian, the sorcerer fell into a coma that lasteed for seven years. Upon waking from it, Sargeras had nearly taken over, and contacted Gul'dan. Thus began the Burning Legion's second attempt at invasion, using the Orcs. A battle ensued when Medivh was found out by his best friends, Lothar and King Llane, as well as his young pupil, Khadgar, at the hands of his still-living, but banished, mother. Attempting to free Medivh from this corruption, he was slain by his friends in his underground sanctum, beneath Karazhan. His body destroyed, Sargeras was sent reeling into the Twisting Nether. The Tomb of Sargeras was believed by Gul'dan to hold amazing power, since he had been told as much by both Medivh and Kil'jaeden. Gul’dan attempted to claim it, but when he opened the tomb, Sargeras was not there. Gul'dan found only a plethora of demons, driven mad by their long imprisonment, who tore him to shreds. It is unknown where Sargeras now resides, if he yet lives. Richard A. Knaak said in an interview: Knaak: Sargeras ceased to be in the sense of his physical being in the mortal world of Azeroth. He was cast into limbo, so to speak, as Blizzard wanted. Otherwise, he pretty much would have immediately returned to try to destroy Azeroth again. 'Ceased to be' was used specifically for that reason. See also: Eye of Sargeras, Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras Category:Burning Legion Category:Titan